Atom RSS

Denny Matthews, who has done radio for the Kansas City Royals for 38 seasons, is the recipiant of this year's Ford C. Frick award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Matthews will receive the award in ceremonies on July 29 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

A 20-member electorate, comprised of the 14 living Frick Award recipients and six historians/columnists, selected Matthews from a group of 10 finalists, which included three broadcasters chosen by an online vote of fans _ Ken Harrelson (Chicago White Sox), Bill King (Oakland Athletics) and Joe Nuxhall (Cincinnati Reds). The other nominees were former players Dizzy Dean and Tony Kubek, radio legend Graham McNamee and play-by-play voices Tom Cheeks (Toronto Blue Jays), Franz Laux (St. Louis Browns) and Dave Niehaus (Seattle Mariners).

Matthews has been with the Royals since the franchise’s inception as an American League expansion club in 1969. He beat out more than 250 applicants for the No. 2 announcing position alongside veteran Bud Blattner and has been with the team ever since.

“Someone told me they were looking for broadcasters, and I was completely confident that I was the guy they were looking for, so I applied,” Matthews told the Kansas City Star. “When I found out I was one of 250 applicants, that was a little daunting. They got it narrowed down to three of us. Buddy Blattner was tabbed as the No. 1 choice, and they picked me as No. 2, and I was in.”